Foster Group

Aid is desperately needed in Haiti and we know many of you are looking for opportunities to help.  Consider these guidelines as you make your decisions:

As with any financial planning decision, deciding whether to give, the amount to give and where to give is best made by thinking through your objectives and allowing your gifts to be an integral part of your overall planned giving strategy.  If you have children, including them in your family giving can have a multi-generational impact.

Gifts of cash are most appreciated – remember even a small amount of money goes a long way to provide necessities to the people of Haiti.  Cash allows charitable organizations to buy in volume at lower prices and distribute goods and services most efficiently.  That’s especially important in a country such as Haiti, where infrastructure is lacking.

Direct your gifts through reputable charities that are already on the ground and have been actively involved in Haiti for some time.  These organizations are most likely to be able to assess needs and distribute necessities most effectively.  A few such organizations are: The American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, World Vision and UNICEF.  Be extremely cautious about responding to telemarketing or e-mail appeals for donations; it can be very difficult to confirm the legitimacy of the organizations behind these requests.

There are many ways to fund your gift.  You can write a check, give online using your credit card, or even use your cell phone to text a donation.  If your gift to any organization will be $100 or more, we welcome the opportunity to serve you in facilitating gifts of cash, appreciated stocks or mutual funds through the lifeWealth Donor Advised Fund.  Give us a call or send us an e-mail and we’ll be happy to initiate your grant request.

What about the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund? This is a newly-formed organization founded by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, at the request of President Obama.  They guarantee that 100% of funds received will go to help the people of Haiti.  Gifts will flow through this fund to various other charitable organizations at the discretion of the two leaders and their professional staff through the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas. You can learn more at: www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

Of course, there are many other reputable charities and agencies involved in delivering aid to the island nation.  If you hear of one or two that interest you, but you’re unsure of how effective they have been in the past, you may find Charity Navigator’s information (http://www.charitynavigator.org) helpful in your decision-making.

To make an online gift, charged to your debit or credit card, or to learn more about the charities, go to the websites below:

The Red Cross:  http://www.redcross.org/

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund:  http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Habitat for Humanity:  http://www.habitat.org/

UNICEF:  http://www.unicefusa.org/

Doctors Without Borders:  http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

World Vision:  http://donate.worldvision.org/

To give by check:

The websites list addresses for sending your check by mail.

To text a donation that will be billed to your cell phone:

Text “HAITI” to “90999” to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross

Text “QUAKE” to 20222 to make a $10 donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Want to check out some charities on your own? 

Take a look at Charity Navigator at: http://www.charitynavigator.org

Don’t forget to retain confirmation of your gift for your tax records.

As always, contact us if you have questions. We look forward to discussing your opportunities for charitable giving!